A bit shocked when reading The Ecocriticism Reader a while ago, right on Rueckert's Literature and Ecology. He's mumbling about something that was (and maybe still) on my mind. He says,
... we live by the word, and by the power of the word, but are increasingly powerless to act upon the word. Real power in our time is political, economic, and technological; real knowledge is increasingly scientific. Are we not here at the center of it all? We can race our verbal motors, spin our dialectical wheels, build more and more sophisticated systems, recycle dazzling ideas through the elite of the profession. ... In the end, we wonder what it all comes down to.
Not to mention and consider the rest of his essay, but this is the part I remember the most from all essays I've read on that interesting book. This totally startling me because it is William Rueckert, a prominent ecocritic; a theorist, who says that. He has the same thought as mine. I do feel the same, prof.
What do you expect for taking this major? What you gonna do after graduation? What do you want to be in the future? What kind of job this major lead you to? That's the common questions laity ask you when you're declaring to take 'literature' course at the first time. and It's not just a few of you that confusing how should to answer that kind of questions. These are overwhelming questions.
When a fellow asked you 'on what major are you?' then you answered 'literature,' and she said 'oh.' Then the same fellow asked your other fellow the same question and she answered 'medicines,' and she said 'wow.' How remarkable the difference attitude you've got. What a pity. They just don't know yet how amazing literature is.
But I, myself, don't really care about that. You know, counting is painful. I just realize that it's not my stuff. I do enjoy literature. That's the most important thing for now. If we do what we wish and desire to do, then it will bring better result than when we force ourselves to do. Then we just don't need to worry about next. Do best to make it best.
Plant best, harvest best :)